Twenty-four lucky children from New Cumnock Primary School swapped their desks for a digger recently when they paid a visit to Kier Construction’s award-winning Greenburn surface mine in East Ayrshire.

The pupils, aged 8 and 9, were decked out in safety hats and hi-visibility vests before piling into a number of land rovers for a tour of the site. Proceeding to a viewing platform overlooking the working area, the excited children had the chance to see the large earth-moving equipment in action before watching a scheduled blast.

Having viewed the operations from above, the visiting pupils were taken down to the working area where work stopped to allow the children to see the sheer size of the machinery used - a highlight for many of them was climbing inside the bucket of the largest excavator for a group photo! Kier Construction then took the pupils to the restored area of the site to show them what the finished site looks like once mining operations have been completed, before finally presenting them with Kier goodie bags to take home as souvenirs.

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Kier Mining planning manager Jo Hillier commented: “It was fantastic to see the enthusiasm the children had on their visit - despite the poor weather - and I think everyone had a thoroughly good time, including the staff. Kier is delighted to be able to support young pupils from New Cumnock and continues to promote East Ayrshire Council’s Enterprise in Education initiative.”

Teacher Natalie White added: “Our class had a wonderful day; not only was it a chance to get really muddy but also, as one child so greatly put it - "to learn without even knowing it!" Partnerships between education and businesses like Kier Mining give children the opportunity to experience ‘learning in context’ first hand.”

(GK)